Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Top 10 Born of the Gods cards for standard/limited with tips on building for the pre-release event.

Top 10 Born of the Gods cards for standard/limited with tips on building for the pre-release event.

                Hey everybody! DannyO here with team Rogue T3ch to talk about the new cards from the winter set: Born of the Gods, second of three in the Theros block.

As of now, the entire set list for Born of the Gods has been spoiled and I was tasked to take my favorite 10 cards for constructed and limited and talk about them here. If you haven’t seen the spoilers yet, first of all, shame on you! Second of all, maybe this list will help you out!

I’m a lot better at judging cards on their limited playability than their constructed playability, especially for older formats like Modern and Legacy, so let’s save the best for last and start with my constructed speculations.

10. Thassa’s Rebuff.  


          This card will most likely find a home in the current Mono Blue Devotion decks depending on the player’s willingness to find slots for it. At two mana, it’s really easy to leave up after a couple turns of flooding the board to protect things from spot removal or threats like Polukranos, which is one of the better cards against Mono Blue.

9. Courser of Kruphix


          A 2/4 body for 1GG that provides decent devotion is a good start to a playable card in standard. The 3 mana cost, to me, says you want Elvish Mystic to hit this on turn 2 since it leads itself to a mana ramp deck, and those usually want to start as quickly as possible. With all of the new black removal in Born of the Gods(that I will get to later), Elvish Mystic is starting to seem a little underwhelming, so Courser might be a little slower than it needs to be.

8. Bile Blight


          We are definitely not lacking in 2 mana conditional black removal for standard and this just adds to the pot. -3/-3 isn’t breath-taking for a double black casting cost, but it does have an upside of hitting every other creature that shares the same name as the original target. The only situation I find Bile Blight hitting more than 1 creature, however, is against tokens or a R/G monsters deck that uses Burning-Tree Emissary’s for devotion since they can usually chain multiples on turn 2. That being said, I predict this being a 2-3 in Mono Black Devotion.

7. Drown in Sorrow


          Let’s continue with another black removal spell. This one acts as a mini ‘wrath’ effect by giving every creature -2/-2. I’ve tested with Shrivel in Mono Black Devotion, and it was very effective against White Weenie archetypes. For 1 more mana you can hit Precinct Captains, the aforementioned Burning-Tree Emissarys, and many other creatures that are just out of reach of Shrivel. However, this is still underwhelming in Mono Black mirrors where it can only hit Pack Rats before they get 2 friends on the board and also against Mono Blue where Cloudfin Raptors have a tendency to evolve quickly out of range leaving only Judge’s Familiars to cry themselves to death. At sorcery speed, this card is probably best used out of the sideboard for Mono Black.

6. Revoke Existence


          In a heavy enchantment block, this card will be, at the very least, holding a few sideboard slots for any white deck. 2 mana sorcery speed exile effect on an enchantment means you can easily fend off opposing Gods and their weapons. If you’re playing white, make sure you have access to some of these.

5. Fanatic of Xenagos


          Our first tribute creature, and probably the best in the set, to make the list. This guy costs a measly 1RG and starts as a 3/3 Trampler. Whether he gets tribute or not, he’s guaranteed to be a 4/4 for 3 mana the turn you play him, making him nice for evolving Expirement Ones and Gyre Sages. The bonus of having Trample is my favorite part and you’ll see why when I get to my favorite God of the set. This guy is a very worthwhile turn 3.

4. Mogis, God of Slaughter


          I’ve been playing a bit of Mono Black Devotion and Desecration Demon holds down the 4-drop slot there pretty well, but if you wanted a reason to splash red, Mogis is your guy. Black and Red have the ability to keep your opponent’s creatures in check with wrath effects and numerous spot removal. If you can manage to keep their board clear, Mogis can just slap them in the face for two every turn while your other creatures get in too. I’m not saying this guy will be all over the next pro tour or anything, but he’s nothing to shake a stick at. Making you sacrifice a creature every turn or take 2 damage is really going to add up over a few turns. Hopefully you boarded those Revokes like I told you!

3. Spirit of the Labyrinth


          The number 4 slot goes to a hate-bear. Spirit of the Labyrinth hoses W/U control decks by making Divinations completely dead in their hands and hosing Sphinx’s Revelations later on if they’re not dealt with. For 2 mana, this can come down on the draw and still slow down control and force them to use their Detention Sphere on turn 3 instead of being able to draw extra cards. The 3/1 body on the Spirit also makes it a formidable threat that can close games in a few turns if it goes unchecked. I definitely expect to see these as a 4-of in white weenie decks, or at least holding a few sideboard slots. If you’re a W/U/x control player, you better find a nice answer for this guy.

2. Xenagos, God of Revels


          The self-inducted God of Theros brings joy to many a R/G player. The reason I like Fanatic of Xenagos so much is because it has trample. With Xenagos, you’ll really want to capitalize on trample creatures so that their pumps are much harder to deal with. I fully expect R/G monsters to make room for a couple Xenagods in the competitive meta. How long he lasts, who knows, but I’m sure he’ll show up here and there.

1. Brimaz, King of Oreskos


          Brimaz is the boss. The first thing I thought of when seeing this card was Hero of Bladehold. Hero of Bladehold was an amazing card in standard during it’s time, and Brimaz will be equally as good if any White archetypes(not the creatures) take off. Brimaz, King of Oreskos comes down a full turn earlier than Hero does, provides the same 3/4 body and even allows you to block on your opponents turn for a token trigger. This guy will definitely bring upon many frowns from the other side of the table when you slam one of these. He is legendary which is a downgrade from the Hero of Bladehold, but I don’t think that will be too much of an issue considering his power level is through the roof. Find a way for him to block more than 1 creature in combat and he’ll get multiple triggers to make it even scarier.


That wraps up my constructed speculation. Don’t quote me on this because, like I said, I’m not the best at determining which cards will become tier 1 staples, but these cards are definitely good in their own right and will probably show up somewhere, at least in the first few weeks of Born of the Gods standard.
With that, let’s move onto my limited speculations. There are a lot of cards that make for good limited bombs so it will be hard to cut down to 10, but here we go.

10. The Nyxborn 5


          These vanilla enchantment creatures are generally fairly costed and, since they have no abilities, allow for cheap bestow costs to pump up evasive creatures to close out games. Not all of them are windmill slam picks, but I would keep your eye out for a couple as you draft and do sealed events.

9. Fate Unraveler


          Limited games tend to go on for a while, especially in a slower format like Theros block limited. Cards that apply uncontrollable pressure to your opponent turn after turn are usually big red flags for me when I’m constructing decks for sealed events and drafts. The 3/4 body means this hag can hold her own in combat too, while also avoiding most of Black and Red’s various removal options.

8. Sudden Storm
 

          In limited games, turning off your opponents’ creatures for two turns can be devastating and most likely game ending. I’ll be picking any of these that come my way in drafts, if at least so I don’t have to see them cast on me.

7. Pheres-Band Tromper. 


          This guy is a power house all on his own. If you can keep him alive for the first combat, he untaps with a +1/+1 counter and becomes more difficult to deal with. To make it worse, there are a lot of Bestow cards that cost 5 mana that you can equip this guy with the turn after you play him to provide even more survivability. At common rarity, I’m going to be looking for as many as possible!

6. Hunter’s Prowess


          For some reason, I’m really attracted to this card. In limited, this card can really throw off your opponent’s combat math, set yourself up for some awkward blocks and can pick you up a good chunk of cards to restock your hand, which in limited, is no laughing matter.

5. Ephara’s Enlightenment


          Evasion is one of highest causes of death in limited games. This 3 cost aura gives your creature that evasion in the form of flying while also giving it a +1/+1 counter. The ability to potentially get multiple triggers with this could be super difficult to deal with, not to mention being able to slap it on your best guy at any time. Flyers in Theros limited have been very difficult to deal with; outside of blue with your own flyers, or green's reachers, so capitalizing on flying is a must!

4. The 5 promo creatures


          Silent Sentinel, Arbiter of the Ideal, Eater of Hope, Forgestoker Dragon, and Nessian Wilds Ravager are the playable promos this time around. You choose a color at the pre-release event and get a corresponding box that contains the promo of your color choice. While I don’t necessarily like all of these, the Red and Green ones(Forgestoker Dragon and Nessian Wilds Ravager respectively), are definitely the best. The dragon comes with flying and has the ability to slowly pick off your opponent’s creatures each combat while simultaneously making the bigger ones unable to block. The Hydra comes down as a 6/6 that immediately fights one of your opponents creatures for great card advantage or, if tribute is paid, comes down as a 12/12! And who can complain at either one? Turn him sideways a couple of times and it’s over.

3. The token maker cycle


          God-Favored General, Aerie Worshippers, Forlorn Pseudamma, Satyr Nyx-Smith, and Pheres-Band Raiders. When these creatures become untapped, they give you the option of paying 3 mana(2 and 1 colored mana of their own color) to make a token/s. Most of these creatures won’t survive long in combat every turn, but given a way to tap them for other reasons will make these guys extremely good in limited. Being able to flood the board with tokens every turn(if not multiple times a turn), will end well for you. I highly recommend you keep an eye out for these guys at every limited event for Born of the Gods.

2. The Gods


          Ephara, God of the Polis, Phenax, God of Deception, Mogis, God of Slaughter, Xenagos, God of Revels, and Karametra, God of Harvests. All of the gods will be highly playable in limited regardless of the rest of your deck. However, one might seem to stand out as a limited all-star. Phenax definitely takes the cake here. Once he’s on the board, you don’t ever have to attack again. All you have to do is focus on defense. Then, at the end of your opponent’s turns, tap all your guys and mill them into oblivion. If Phenax has devotion, he can start milling for you too. It shouldn’t take more than a couple turns to run them out of cards once this guy hits the board. If you open Phenax, God of Deception, you play Phenax, God of Deception. The end.

1. The Archetypes


          Phenax is pretty much the end all be all for Born of the Gods limited, but the archetype creatures are a whole new ball game. Not every one of these will end games the turn they're played, but Archetype of Aggression and Archetype of Imagination definitely make that a possibility. Archetype of Courage makes games amazingly difficult for your opponent from turn 3, on. Dealing with these is a must, so keep that in mind as you build your pools!

That wraps it up for me today. I hope you all are looking forward to Born of the Gods pre-release events as much as I am and hopefully these will give you some ideas of what to look for in those fresh, new packs.

Thanks for reading!

DannyO